I'm a firm believer in my old Gran's saying - "eat a little of everything you fancy but not to much of anything".
It worked for her and my Grandfather both of whom lived to a ripe old age and were fit an mobile until the very last few months
Mind you, the spent every hour they could working in the garden and walked most everywhere in the village (my Great- Grandmother who also espoused this philosophy was swimming in the sea in Folkestone until well into her '80s - must run in the family)
At then end of it, whatever works for you is good, much of the "health instruction" we get these days comes from those with a vested interest, political or financial
(Did I mention that a good healthy dose of scepticism also helps to a long and happy life too ;) )

I'm a firm believer in my old Gran's saying - "eat a little of everything you fancy but not to much of anything".

It worked for her and my Grandfather both of whom lived to a ripe old age and were fit an mobile until the very last few months

Mind you, the spent every hour they could working in the garden and walked most everywhere in the village (my Great- Grandmother who also espoused this philosophy was swimming in the sea in Folkestone until well into her '80s - must run in the family)

At then end of it, whatever works for you is good, much of the "health instruction" we get these days comes from those with a vested interest, political or financial

(Did I mention that a good healthy dose of scepticism also helps to a long and happy life too )

Alternative soft drinks have artificial sugars/sweeteners added. They are bad full stop.
There is an increasing amount of data available showing sugar and sugar substitutes are the true dangers in food rather more than calories or saturated fats.
Water is all that is needed for sufficient hydration. These poxy overpriced energy drinks give limited energy boosts usually followed by sugar crash.

Alternative soft drinks have artificial sugars/sweeteners added. They are bad full stop.

There is an increasing amount of data available showing sugar and sugar substitutes are the true dangers in food rather more than calories or saturated fats.

Water is all that is needed for sufficient hydration. These poxy overpriced energy drinks give limited energy boosts usually followed by sugar crash.

It's an interesting (and very generalistic) observation that most obese people drink fizzy diet drinks. Caffeine is a mild diuretic and rehydration is essential. Tap water is readily available and mostly free and will assuage hunger pangs for short time. Moderation in everything. :)

It's an interesting (and very generalistic) observation that most obese people drink fizzy diet drinks. Caffeine is a mild diuretic and rehydration is essential. Tap water is readily available and mostly free and will assuage hunger pangs for short time. Moderation in everything.

In the 80's I recall my sister going on diets. First thing she would do is buy some cans of diet cola. This was hilarious, because she didn't drink regular cola anyway! I once saw on tv that Special K had more sugar than Frosties! Wow.
In his forties my dad had a quite a big belly. He lost it all within a year just by changing from sugar to saccharin in tea. He averaged four cups a day.
[quote]Alternative soft drinks have artificial sugars/sweeteners added. They are bad full stop.
There is an increasing amount of data available showing sugar and sugar substitutes are the true dangers in food rather more than calories or saturated fats.
Water is all that is needed for sufficient hydration. These poxy overpriced energy drinks give limited energy boosts usually followed by sugar crash[/quote]
A lot of that sounds like internet pseudo-science to me, the kind of thing Oprah comes out with. Are there any proper scientific studies done by real scientists that back any of that up?

In the 80's I recall my sister going on diets. First thing she would do is buy some cans of diet cola. This was hilarious, because she didn't drink regular cola anyway! I once saw on tv that Special K had more sugar than Frosties! Wow.

In his forties my dad had a quite a big belly. He lost it all within a year just by changing from sugar to saccharin in tea. He averaged four cups a day.

Quote:Alternative soft drinks have artificial sugars/sweeteners added. They are bad full stop.

There is an increasing amount of data available showing sugar and sugar substitutes are the true dangers in food rather more than calories or saturated fats.

Water is all that is needed for sufficient hydration. These poxy overpriced energy drinks give limited energy boosts usually followed by sugar crash

A lot of that sounds like internet pseudo-science to me, the kind of thing Oprah comes out with. Are there any proper scientific studies done by real scientists that back any of that up?

[quote]
A lot of that sounds like internet pseudo-science to me, the kind of thing Oprah comes out with. Are there any proper scientific studies done by real scientists that back any of that up?[/quote]
A bit more than pseudo-science [link=http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/7-side-effects-of-drinking-diet-soda]here Chris[/link], but still few actual links to the studies I'm afraid.

Quote:
A lot of that sounds like internet pseudo-science to me, the kind of thing Oprah comes out with. Are there any proper scientific studies done by real scientists that back any of that up?

A bit more than pseudo-science here Chris , but still few actual links to the studies I'm afraid.

I've always drank full-fat Coke, and I'm not about to change that, because it is the real thing.....
All rubbish about food making you fat.
Fill the shelves of supermarkets with totally nutritious, fresh organic products, and some people would still gain weight, because they don't exercise.

I've always drank full-fat Coke, and I'm not about to change that, because it is the real thing.....

All rubbish about food making you fat.
Fill the shelves of supermarkets with totally nutritious, fresh organic products, and some people would still gain weight, because they don't exercise.

Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.
My sister used this as an excuse for years and it turned out there was nothing wrong with it.
I had mine totally removed ten years ago and my weight has not changed.

Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.

My sister used this as an excuse for years and it turned out there was nothing wrong with it.

I had mine totally removed ten years ago and my weight has not changed.

Peter, the stuff you linked to is about the best I've seen and it's just not comprehensive enough for the kind of claims people make.
It's Cosmo medicine; Parallax uses the phrase "sugar crash" - I looked it up once and couldn't find any evidence of medical recognition
[i]A sugar crash or glucose crash is the term used in American popular culture to refer to a supposed sense of fatigue after consuming a large quantity of carbohydrates. It is variously described as a sense of tiredness, lethargy, irritation, or hangover.
The alleged mechanism for it would be that the rapid rise in blood glucose normally leads to brisk insulin secretion, which in turn leads to rapid glucose uptake by tissues (which then either accumulate it as glycogen or use it for energy production); the consequent fall in blood glucose is indicated as the reason for the "sugar crash".[/i]

Peter, the stuff you linked to is about the best I've seen and it's just not comprehensive enough for the kind of claims people make.

It's Cosmo medicine; Parallax uses the phrase "sugar crash" - I looked it up once and couldn't find any evidence of medical recognition

A sugar crash or glucose crash is the term used in American popular culture to refer to a supposed sense of fatigue after consuming a large quantity of carbohydrates. It is variously described as a sense of tiredness, lethargy, irritation, or hangover.

The alleged mechanism for it would be that the rapid rise in blood glucose normally leads to brisk insulin secretion, which in turn leads to rapid glucose uptake by tissues (which then either accumulate it as glycogen or use it for energy production); the consequent fall in blood glucose is indicated as the reason for the "sugar crash".

[quote]Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.[/quote]
I have hypothyroidism and I haven't gained weight, well, no more than I would have anyway if I hadn't pigged out for the last few years. :) I don't drink Coke and stuff though. The only fizzy I do drink is Yew Tree Ginger Beer which is addictive because it tastes so good. Or a diet tonic water in a G&T.

Quote:Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.

I have hypothyroidism and I haven't gained weight, well, no more than I would have anyway if I hadn't pigged out for the last few years. I don't drink Coke and stuff though. The only fizzy I do drink is Yew Tree Ginger Beer which is addictive because it tastes so good. Or a diet tonic water in a G&T.

[quote]Peter, the stuff you linked to is about the best I've seen and it's just not comprehensive enough for the kind of claims people make.
[/quote]
There is no definitive evidence yet but it is growing.
But there are two sides to this: first is the rise in 'diet' products and where these products ordinarily have fat in them and when the fat is removed to create a 'diet' product they usually replace it with huge amounts of carbohydrate ad although the number of calries may be less the large amounts of carbohydrate you get over the day from these foods do mess with the body's regulatory systems. The second part is the growing debate over 'in the long term is added sugar worse for you than the fat normally in there' and although the evidence is undecided they are finding more and more about the way the body reacts to the balance of the two. But even long-term epidemiology reviews are complicated because dietary changes have often happened together.

Quote:Peter, the stuff you linked to is about the best I've seen and it's just not comprehensive enough for the kind of claims people make.

There is no definitive evidence yet but it is growing.
But there are two sides to this: first is the rise in 'diet' products and where these products ordinarily have fat in them and when the fat is removed to create a 'diet' product they usually replace it with huge amounts of carbohydrate ad although the number of calries may be less the large amounts of carbohydrate you get over the day from these foods do mess with the body's regulatory systems. The second part is the growing debate over 'in the long term is added sugar worse for you than the fat normally in there' and although the evidence is undecided they are finding more and more about the way the body reacts to the balance of the two. But even long-term epidemiology reviews are complicated because dietary changes have often happened together.

[quote]Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.
[/quote]
If the myth is that an underactive thyroid [i]will [/i]make you gain weight then I agree with you, but there is a recognised correlation where an unexpected weight gain will suggest to a physisican that the patient [i]may [/i]have a thyroid disorder worthy of further testing.
[quote]
My sister used this as an excuse for years and it turned out there was nothing wrong with it.[/quote]
Another one is 'I have a slow metabolism' or 'I have big bones' and the question 'Have you had a medical test to show that?' often has them looking shifty.

Quote:Another common misconception is that if you have an under active thyroid it will make you gain weight.

If the myth is that an underactive thyroid will make you gain weight then I agree with you, but there is a recognised correlation where an unexpected weight gain will suggest to a physisican that the patient may have a thyroid disorder worthy of further testing.

Quote:
My sister used this as an excuse for years and it turned out there was nothing wrong with it.

Another one is 'I have a slow metabolism' or 'I have big bones' and the question 'Have you had a medical test to show that?' often has them looking shifty.

Let's get thyroid out of equation. The only decease that changes sugar (glucose) balance directly is diabetes. But that is different gland. Yes, hyperthyroidism often causes loss of weight as a collateral of hyperactivity. But hypo-activity does not seem to be a direct result of hypothyroidism, rather person's lack of will to deal with lifestyle adjustment. This assumes the condition is known to the person, of course.
As all the "low energy" drinks, etc. - I am always very aware about including in my diet any substances that are not part of natural human food. Cannot be avoided completely, rather need to be consumed in moderation. That's my recipe, bake whatever you like from it;).

Let's get thyroid out of equation. The only decease that changes sugar (glucose) balance directly is diabetes. But that is different gland. Yes, hyperthyroidism often causes loss of weight as a collateral of hyperactivity. But hypo-activity does not seem to be a direct result of hypothyroidism, rather person's lack of will to deal with lifestyle adjustment. This assumes the condition is known to the person, of course.

As all the "low energy" drinks, etc. - I am always very aware about including in my diet any substances that are not part of natural human food. Cannot be avoided completely, rather need to be consumed in moderation. That's my recipe, bake whatever you like from it.